Kivotos reunites its entire fleet as all seven Blue Archive ships return to World of Warships

Class is back in session, and this time nobody has been left behind. World of Warships has brought its Blue Archive collaboration back for a third appearance, reuniting all seven themed ships and nine voiced Commanders released across the crossover’s first two waves and making the complete PC collection available together for the first time as the centerpiece of its latest anime collaboration return.

Available from October 7 through December 2, the event does not introduce a third wave of new Blue Archive vessels. Instead, Wargaming is opening the vault on everything released in 2024 and 2025, from Nonomi’s BA Tirpitz and Hoshino’s BA Montana to the far stranger second-wave additions based on Binah, Wakamo’s Hovercraft, the Ship of Utnapishtim and even Arona’s whale companion. Players can target particular favorites through dedicated bundles or take their chances at the returning Wishing Wharf, whose reward pool now contains the complete seven-ship lineup alongside Commanders, permanent camouflage, Credits and economic bonuses.

The first Blue Archive collaboration started with Abydos

World of Warships first opened the route between Kivotos and its naval battlefield in Update 13.7 in August 2024. That original collaboration concentrated heavily on Abydos High School’s Foreclosure Task Force, introducing five individually voiced Commanders: Izayoi Nonomi, Okusora Ayane, Takanashi Hoshino, Sunaookami Shiroko and Kuromi Serika.

Only three dedicated crossover ships accompanied them. Nonomi was associated with BA Tirpitz, Ayane with BA Takahashi and Hoshino with BA Montana, while Shiroko and Serika joined through the wider Commander progression rather than receiving their own unique vessels.

The concept was relatively straightforward by World of Warships collaboration standards. Wargaming took existing naval archetypes, rebuilt their external presentation around Blue Archive characters and added individual Japanese voiceovers so the students could function as actual Commanders rather than static cosmetic portraits. Dedicated flags, patches and themed containers expanded the collection, while special Blue Archive music further blurred the line between a conventional naval match and Kivotos suddenly taking over the bridge.

That initial wave established the format, but the second collaboration demonstrated how much stranger Wargaming was willing to become.

Wave Two stopped pretending every Blue Archive ship needed to begin as a normal warship

When Blue Archive returned with Update 14.6 in July 2025, Wargaming moved well beyond putting character-inspired liveries on recognisable battleships and cruisers. Four additional Commanders arrived — Kosaka Wakamo, Hayase Yuuka, Konuri Maki and Arona — and all four were paired with vessels drawn much more directly from Blue Archive itself.

The result was BA Hovercraft, BA Utnapishtim’s Ship, BA Binah and BA Arona’s Whale. Suddenly the collaboration contained a Soviet battleship inspired by Wakamo’s giant hovercraft, a French cruiser interpreting an ancient space battleship, an Italian battleship built around a Decagrammaton Prophet and a Tier X submarine based on the whale associated with Arona.

It was an intentionally absurd collision between the two games, but also a better representation of Blue Archive than simply producing another round of character camouflages. Blue Archive routinely mixes school life, firearms, advanced technology, enormous autonomous weapons and science-fiction concepts without treating their coexistence as particularly unusual. World of Warships responded by converting that material into vessels that still obey its own naval combat rules once the match begins.

The 2026 return now places those four machines beside the original three, creating a fleet that ranges from relatively grounded historical reinterpretations to a literal anime whale submarine.

BA Tirpitz remains the easiest introduction to the collaboration

The Tier VIII German Premium battleship BA Tirpitz is inspired by Nonomi and retains the basic appeal expected from a Tirpitz-derived brawler. Its eight 380 mm guns are supported by accurate secondary batteries and torpedo armament, giving it several ways to threaten opponents once the engagement closes to medium or short range.

Its armour scheme provides strong citadel protection, encouraging the kind of aggressive positioning traditionally associated with German battleships, although the ship pays for that confidence with relatively poor torpedo protection, weak anti-aircraft performance and no Hydroacoustic Search. A careless push into destroyer territory can therefore end very quickly despite the ship’s ability to endure conventional artillery fire.

Visually, the collaboration converts that familiar German silhouette into something unmistakably associated with Nonomi, using the bright colours and graphic elements of Abydos alongside her dedicated Commander. For players who missed the previous collaborations, it is also the ship Wargaming has chosen to promote most aggressively during the opening week of the 2026 return, with BA Tirpitz receiving a 75% launch-period discount.

That makes it a logical entry point for somebody interested in Blue Archive but less interested in paying Tier IX or Tier X prices for one of the more exotic ships.

BA Takahashi turns Ayane into a long-range Japanese cruiser

BA Takahashi represents Ayane at Tier IX and approaches combat very differently. The Japanese Premium cruiser carries fifteen 150 mm guns in five triple turrets, combining a large number of shells per salvo with the long-range torpedo armament characteristic of its branch.

Its torpedoes hit extremely hard and travel considerable distances, making them useful for controlling routes and punishing ships committed to predictable movement, although their low speed gives attentive opponents plenty of opportunity to react. The cruiser’s main battery can deliver damaging HE salvos from safer ranges, but BA Takahashi lacks the armour required to absorb sustained attention.

That vulnerability makes positioning fundamental. The ship is much happier exploiting range, concealment and torpedo lanes than trading directly against battleships, and the combination fits Ayane’s representation as one of the more organised and sensible members of the Abydos group.

The returning collaboration also restores the dedicated Ayane presentation surrounding the vessel rather than offering Takahashi merely as another copy in the Japanese cruiser collection.

BA Montana gives Hoshino twelve 406 mm guns and a powerful heal

At the opposite end of the first-wave fleet is BA Montana, the Tier X American Special battleship themed around Hoshino. Its basic silhouette and twelve-gun arrangement remain immediately recognisable: four triple turrets provide twelve 406 mm rifles capable of delivering enormous AP salvos when a broadside target presents itself.

The Blue Archive version is particularly comfortable at short and medium ranges and retains strong American anti-aircraft protection. Its enhanced Repair Party provides substantial staying power, while access to Artillery Plotting Room Modification 2 allows players to improve main-battery accuracy if they want to build around the guns rather than simply maximise survivability.

The trade-offs are familiar. BA Montana is large, cumbersome and considerably less comfortable when forced into rapid manoeuvres, while long-range shooting becomes less dependable than the ideal engagement distances suggested by its artillery. Used methodically, however, it is one of the most conventional high-tier ships in the entire Blue Archive collection.

That may sound less exciting beside a submarine shaped around Arona’s whale, but it also means players do not need to learn an unusual gimmick before making effective use of the ship.

Wakamo’s Hovercraft becomes a Soviet Tier IX battleship

Wave Two is where the collection begins becoming much more experimental. BA Hovercraft takes one of Blue Archive’s most recognisable raid encounters and translates it into a Tier IX Soviet Premium battleship associated with Wakamo.

Rather than literally reproducing the source vehicle’s gameplay, World of Warships converts its visual identity into a conventional heavy warship equipped with nine 406 mm guns arranged across three triple turrets. The resulting vessel prioritises survivability and powerful main-battery strikes, especially when engagements move toward the ranges where Soviet battleship dispersion becomes more favourable.

Its weaknesses reinforce that commitment. Anti-aircraft defence is limited and the rudder responds slowly, so changing direction after committing the hull can be uncomfortable. BA Hovercraft is consequently happier establishing a strong position and forcing the enemy to deal with its guns and armour than repeatedly attempting to reposition across the battlefield.

The absurdity is part of the attraction. In Blue Archive, Wakamo’s Hovercraft is exactly what the name suggests. In World of Warships, Wargaming asked what would happen if that encounter were reconstructed as a full-sized Soviet Tier IX battleship.

Apparently, the answer was nine 406 mm guns.

Utnapishtim’s Ship moves from space to the French cruiser tree

The Ship of Utnapishtim is even more unusual because its Blue Archive counterpart is not an ocean-going vessel at all. It is an ancient spacecraft central to the climactic events surrounding Volume F, and Wargaming translated it into the Tier IX French Premium cruiser BA Utnapishtim’s Ship.

Its armament consists of eight 330 mm guns mounted in two quadruple turrets, immediately placing it closer to a large cruiser or battlecruiser than a conventional light cruiser. Battlecruiser dispersion helps those guns produce relatively accurate strikes, while the ship possesses a large HP pool and effective secondary batteries.

Its distinctive Combat Instructions provide another specialised layer, rewarding players who correctly build and activate the mechanic during an engagement. The trade-off is comparatively low sustained main-battery damage, modest speed for a French cruiser and the long fire duration associated with large-cruiser-style survivability.

The themed presentation does much of the rest. The black, white and blue design references the original Utnapishtim vessel while traces of sand acknowledge its unusual condition in Blue Archive. Even the visual effect trailing the ship through the water helps preserve some of its science-fiction identity despite placing it firmly on the ocean.

Yuuka accompanies the vessel as its associated Commander, continuing her connection with the ship from Blue Archive’s story.

Binah becomes a surprisingly stealthy Italian battleship

BA Binah translates one of the Decagrammaton Prophets into a Tier VIII Italian Premium battleship, producing another ship that would make absolutely no sense without the collaboration and yet has a clearly defined role once combat begins.

Its eight 381 mm guns use battlecruiser dispersion, giving the ship unusually comfortable accuracy for its class, while efficient secondary batteries provide another source of pressure at shorter distances. BA Binah also possesses relatively good concealment and an enhanced Exhaust Smoke Generator, creating options for repositioning or disengaging that most battleships simply do not have.

Those strengths are balanced by a smaller HP pool and weaker armour than players might expect from a conventional frontline Tier VIII battleship. BA Binah therefore cannot simply rely on durability when exposing itself; its combination of concealment, smoke and accurate artillery is there for a reason.

The ship illustrates how Wargaming handled the more abstract second-wave material. Binah itself could not be recreated literally inside World of Warships without abandoning the game’s basic rules, so the collaboration instead translates its visual identity onto a machine whose mechanics remain compatible with normal PvP.

Arona’s Whale may be the strangest submarine in the Port

Then there is BA Arona’s Whale, a Tier X Japanese Special submarine whose visual inspiration comes from Arona’s ever-present whale companion. Even in a game that has previously hosted spaceships, anime collaborations and completely fictional warships, it is difficult to mistake it for anything else in the Port.

Mechanically, it remains a serious high-tier submarine. BA Arona’s Whale has a large HP pool for the class and specialises in long-range torpedo attacks, with torpedo damage increasing at greater distances. That pushes it toward planning attacks from outside the immediate danger zone rather than relying exclusively on extremely close ambushes.

The price is significant detectability and poor underwater speed. Once an opponent establishes the submarine’s position, BA Arona’s Whale does not possess exceptional submerged mobility to simply disappear somewhere else. Successful play therefore depends on anticipating the battle and maintaining enough distance that those powerful torpedoes can do their work without forcing the submarine into an unfavourable escape.

The ship also demonstrates just how far the second Blue Archive wave was prepared to reinterpret source material. Wargaming did not take a submarine from history and paint it blue. It effectively asked how Arona’s whale could become a Tier X warship.

All nine students can return to the bridge

The ships are only half the collaboration. Nine individually voiced Blue Archive Commanders are available again, bringing together the complete cast from both previous waves: Nonomi, Ayane, Hoshino, Shiroko and Serika from the original Abydos-focused release, followed by Wakamo, Yuuka, Maki and Arona from Wave Two.

Their individual voiceovers are a substantial part of the crossover’s appeal because Commander dialogue is constantly heard during a World of Warships battle. Torpedo warnings, fires, floods, destroyed enemies and other combat events therefore become opportunities for the Blue Archive characters to respond rather than leaving the collaboration confined to the Port.

Wargaming also previously added Blue Archive battle music associated with the collaboration Commanders, making the audio presentation unusually extensive compared with a simple character portrait replacement. The objective has consistently been to make the student feel as though she is commanding the vessel rather than merely existing as a collectible icon assigned to it.

The nine-character roster is also broader than the seven ships suggest. Shiroko and Serika are full collaboration Commanders even though there are no BA Shiroko and BA Serika vessels, so collectors interested primarily in characters do not need to restrict themselves to the students Wargaming paired directly with ships.

The Wishing Wharf now contains the complete seven-ship fleet

The returning Wishing Wharf is where all seven ships meet. It uses temporary Blue Archive Tokens for attempts at a reward pool containing BA Tirpitz, BA Takahashi, BA Montana, BA Binah, BA Utnapishtim’s Ship, BA Hovercraft and BA Arona’s Whale, as well as Blue Archive Commanders, permanent camouflage, Credits and expendable economic bonuses.

The current Armory interface prices an individual attempt at 50 Blue Archive Tokens, with multiple attempts available together. As in the previous implementation, the interface includes a guaranteed-reward system so players can see their progress toward the highest reward group rather than relying on completely opaque random chance.

The important distinction is that the Wishing Wharf is not the only acquisition route. Dedicated bundles allow players to pursue specific collaboration content instead of relying entirely on randomized attempts. That matters considerably for somebody who wants one particular character or vessel rather than treating the crossover as a complete collection project.

Blue Archive Tokens themselves are temporary. Wargaming states that unused Tokens will automatically convert into Credits after the event period ends, so there is no benefit to preserving them in the hope that they will remain a permanent account currency.

The 2026 return is effectively a second chance rather than Wave Three

Wargaming’s own Steam announcement jokingly describes the students as “back for thirds,” but the wording should not be confused with a third wave of newly designed ships and Commanders. No new Blue Archive vessel has been announced for this return.

That is arguably the most important detail for returning collectors. Someone who completed the 2024 and 2025 collaboration sets already owns the core content being promoted in the new trailer. The value of the 2026 event is primarily accessibility: players who missed an entire wave, started playing World of Warships later or obtained only part of one collection now have almost two months in which the previously fragmented roster is available together.

For newcomers, however, the experience is effectively much larger than either original launch. The 2024 collaboration offered three ships and five Commanders. The 2025 wave added four ships and four more Commanders while also returning parts of the original collection. In 2026, the headline is simply the entire class.

Seven ships.

Nine Commanders.

Two years of crossover content in one Port.

Steam players also received a separate welcome-back package

Wargaming has supplemented the in-game return with Steam-specific promotional content. A free Blue Archive permanent camouflage DLC is available through December 3, allowing Steam players to apply the collaboration’s blue visual style to a ship of their choice rather than requiring ownership of one of the seven dedicated vessels.

The launch promotion also temporarily made the Pan-Asian Premium cruiser Ning Hai free through October 12 and introduced discounts on several unrelated World of Warships DLC packs. The Ning Hai offer has already ended, so it should not be confused with an ongoing part of the Blue Archive event, but the free permanent camouflage remains available considerably longer.

The distinction is useful because the primary collaboration runs through Wargaming’s own Armory and bundles regardless of Steam, while the additional DLC campaign is specifically targeted at players using Valve’s platform.

There is also a separate Blue Archive participation event running through October 26, awarding a day of Warships Premium Account for playing a qualifying battle and offering a chance at Supercontainers after completing the corresponding mission.

Blue Archive returns in the middle of one of World of Warships’ busiest updates

The collaboration is only one component of Update 15.9, which also launched Pacific Front, the new strategic fleet-management event derived from Dunkirk 1940. Players can command units across multi-stage Operations, manage persistent HP and modifiers and eventually progress toward the Tier VI Premium destroyer Monaghan.

Halloween is running alongside it through the Halloween Treats Event Pass, while three Brawls take place on maps inspired by the classic Transylvania event. Black Friday content is also returning, and from October 14 the Armory expands again with La Spezia and the Uncharted Seas event built around Datong and Philips van Almonde.

That makes the Blue Archive return deliberately low-friction. Wargaming is not asking players to learn another temporary battle mode or grind a standalone Blue Archive progression campaign at the same time. The collaboration primarily occupies the collection, Commander and Armory side of Update 15.9 while Pacific Front provides the update’s major new gameplay system.

For players interested in both, the result is a particularly dense October: historical Pacific strategy on one side of the game and anime students commanding battleships, cruisers and a whale-shaped submarine on the other.

The crossover works because World of Warships stopped trying to make it sensible

The first collaboration could still be explained relatively conventionally. Nonomi, Ayane and Hoshino were turned into naval Commanders, existing warship concepts received elaborate character designs and World of Warships did what it has done with numerous licensed properties.

Wave Two is where the partnership found a more distinctive identity. Arona’s whale, Wakamo’s Hovercraft, Binah and the Ship of Utnapishtim were never ideas that naturally belonged inside a twentieth-century naval combat game, and attempting to make them entirely logical would have defeated much of their appeal.

Instead, Wargaming translated them mechanically while letting them remain visually strange. Utnapishtim’s space battleship becomes a French Tier IX cruiser with 330 mm artillery. Wakamo’s raid vehicle becomes a Soviet battleship. Binah becomes an Italian secondary-oriented battleship with Exhaust Smoke. Arona’s companion becomes a high-tier submarine.

The ships still interact with armour penetration, concealment, fires, torpedoes and positioning like the rest of World of Warships, but their presentation is allowed to come directly from Kivotos.

That contrast is precisely why the collection stands out inside a Port containing hundreds of comparatively conventional vessels.

The whole class will remain at sea until December

The new trailer is therefore less a reveal than a roll call. Command the Waves with Blue Archive gathers everything Wargaming and Nexon Games have built across the collaboration since 2024 and gives players another opportunity to decide exactly how much Kivotos they want inside their naval collection.

Players looking for something relatively familiar can take Nonomi’s BA Tirpitz into secondary range or command Hoshino’s twelve-gun BA Montana. Cruiser captains can experiment with Ayane’s BA Takahashi or the much heavier Utnapishtim. More unconventional collectors have Wakamo’s Hovercraft, Binah and Arona’s Whale waiting at the opposite extreme, while all nine Commanders bring their own voices into normal battles regardless of which compatible ship ultimately carries them.

There is no new class joining them this year and no secret eighth vessel announced behind the trailer. That is not what this return is about. For the first time, the pitch is simply that the complete Blue Archive fleet is back at once.

World of Warships × Blue Archive is available on PC from October 7 through December 2, 2026, with all seven ships and nine individually voiced Commanders from the 2024 and 2025 collaboration waves returning through dedicated offers and the Wishing Wharf.